Easy Tasks to Maintain Your Windows PC

Occasionally clients ask us what they can do to maintain their computer with the intention to speed it up and keep it clean and running well. Although there is a laundry list of things that could and should be done to keep your computer clean and running well, here are three items that can at least get you started and that don’t require a technical expert to configure or adopt..

Disk Defragmentation

Disk defragmentation is the process of resorting all the data on a hard drive so that it starts at the beginning of the disk and is ordered in a sequential nature. Defragmentation is of vital importance to maintaining a properly running computer.

Below is a video demonstrating this on Windows 7. The same concept applies if you’re using Windows XP although the exact location may vary slightly.

The idea of disk cleanup is to remove files that you don’t need anymore. The main purpose is to save hard drive disk space. Although the act of removing files from your computer may not result in noticeable speed increases, it’s always a good idea to only store what you need and remove what you don’t. The more files you have on the computer the more your computer has to keep track of those files in its internal index.

Below is a video demonstrating this on Windows 7. The same concept applies if you’re using Windows XP although the exact location may vary slightly.

System updates are important releases that either patch or enhance the operating system and related operating system components. The updates are generally comprised of recommended and optional updates.

Although few could argue that installing a required security update is important, many are perplexed by exactly how and when these updates take place. Some would argue that the updates happen at the most inconvenient times like when you’re trying to shut your computer down on your way out to appointment and you get the screen that says “Installing updates 1 of… please do not shut down your computer…” To avoid this from happening, you can schedule when your system to automatically downloads and performs updates.

Below is a video demonstrating this on Windows 7. The same concept applies if you’re using Windows XP although the exact location may vary slightly.